‘Only travel is essential’ - Police issue warning to drivers as weather causes chaos on the roads

Bristol drivers have been warned not to travel unless it is essential after more than 100 reports of collisions due to adverse weather conditions.

The Met Office issued a yellow weather warning for the city which recorded 53 road traffic collisions (RTCs) in the space of five hours last night (January 16). Seven of these incidents were reported to have resulted in injuries, however, they are not thought to be serious. A further 67 calls were received for other road-related incidents.

Bristol has seen a large amount of rainfall over the past few weeks, causing multiple flood warnings to be issued, and dropping temperatures have resulted in roads becoming icy.

Supt Mark Runacres said: “We are advising the public to only travel where absolutely essential due to the treacherous driving conditions. If travel is necessary, we ask the public to take extreme caution and allow additional time to travel.

“We have seen a significantly higher number of road-related collisions and incidents in the past 12 hours, which has increased the demand on police resources. We are working with local authorities and National Highways to ensure roads are properly gritted ahead of the rush hour traffic to improve driving conditions.”

If you do need to travel, we advise drivers to consider the following:

• Do you have enough fuel to reach your destination if there are long travel delays?
• Have you checked your oil, coolant and screen wash?
• Have you checked your tyre tread depth and air pressure?
• Are your wiper blades able to keep your windscreen clear?
• Are all of your lights and indicators working (including your fog light)?